ABOUT THE ARTIST
Andrew Osta was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1982. He immigrated to Canada at the age of 12. Upon graduating from the University of Toronto in 2004, he began making and exhibiting art. In 2008 he worked for a year as an assistant art therapist in Hamilton, On, Canada. In 2009 he moved to the Amazon jungle of Peru to study shamanism. In 2011, he moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In 2017, following the birth of his first child, he moved to Oaxaca.
Having been painting for 20 years, Osta participated in hundreds of group and solo exhibitions in countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Italy, France, Monaco, and Switzerland. He was exhibited in two museum shows in Italy and Mexico. His work is in hundreds of private collections and has been offered successfully at multiple auctions.
He is the author of four books and a prolific lyricist and songwriter. At times, he enjoys public speaking engagements. He does not work with many galleries.
About the Work
Osta’s paintings are as multifaceted and varied as his life. His earliest work was a complex mix of surreal, outsider, and psychedelic. Gradually, he moved towards making instantly memorable, iconic paintings. His most popular themes include dining cats, flying mariachis, and tenderly embracing lovers.
Some of his artwork is deeply introspective and has a therapeutic function. Paradoxically, he deals with traumatic experiences by means of positive artistic expression. He interested in the psychological and healing properties of color and composition, while a painting’s subject matter is often of secondary importance.
Not wanting to repeat himself, he is always experimenting with new subjects and compositions.
